Apparatus for the manufacture of support members from sheet metal



2,729,264 OF SUPPORT TAL 3 Sheets-Sheet l F CM 4 INVENTdR W/LLI'AM H-SMI'TH 4&5?-

Jan. 3, 1956 w. H. SMITH 2,729,264

APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF SUPPORT MEMBERS FROM SHEET METAL FiledNov. 2'7, 1951 I5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR WILL/A M H. syn

Jan. 3, 1956 w. H. SMITH 2,729,264

APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF SUPPORT MEMBERS FROM SHEET METAL FiledNov. 27, 1951 I5 Sheets-Sheet 3 1 \\\l 50 52 56 3O 52 L| :////I /LINVENTOR WiLLiAM H. SMITH United States Pa ent V l H 2,7251%? meannessSUPPORT MEMBERS FROM SHEET METAL William nnilt Smith, has Manta;Eliiglahtl triplicates saints-r i9, i5i, Serihihio. 5533.455 1' 'chih.(bi. 135:5;

scaifolding and similar supports used iii hi1 mg, an isdirected towardsan imp roved method a 1 aratlis for m and n ext n bl an a The supportsto which the iiiventi Y title of sheet metal and examples of them areaesenhea iii British patentspe sa o Np 7i. III ace-whence with t e pesent iiifve; tea, a blank of sheet metal of appropriate gaiig'eahh ofchannel section is pl ac ed upon a. machine. bed, an. expandablemaiid'rel of the Shape, of ,the centeringmember is ':pl'aced ins'idethechannelsec tion, pivoted bending members .tlieh fold the sides over tocontactwith the mandrel; the etl'gs being then. brought to final shapeby rollers which riiii ltShgid l y 9 l, l PP.Q In t -p .znnet theappar,the expandin mandrel has base members at eachsideadaptedto slide wwa s.d, wa t m e cnnther an has a en'per ion which ca h re se and .lpw teslby.a. t n ep fi efie a d bar h i saee ie in l n snnirs pper; ed The mandrl is prei alqly piyoted at one endand is tilted about this pivotby aplnnger. p p M In the accompatyingdrawings illustrate a preferred methodand she form of ap 'h'rzitiis for manufacturnat e 11.8 memberspf.extensible supports of substan- 1)? g l r.crosssection. a

lii ,1 i adiagrammaticend view elevation: of a m nd $1. in. operative.relationito a "channel shapedhlank in accordance with the presentinvention;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but including a fragmentary portionof a swaging element and showing the support formed from the blank;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view in perspective of one end of an apparatusfor manufacturing support members in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic fragmentary side view in elevation of one endof the apparatus;

Fig. 5 is an end view in elevation of an expandable mandrel, and

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken on line VIVI of Fig. 5.

Referring first to Figs. 1 and 2 sheet metal blanks 1 of channel sectionare fed on to the bed of the machine under the expandable mandrel 2which is then lowered by hydraulic rams and presses the blank againstthe bed of the machine; the mandrel is then expanded to the shape shown.

Bending arms, pivoted at their corners, are then moved to press thesides of the blanks against the sides of the mandrel 2.

Swaging or bending rollers 3 then pass along the machine and bend thetop of the blank 1 against the top of the mandrel 2 to make a buttjoint, the edges of which are then gas-welded together.

Referring now to Figs. 3 and 4, the mandrel 2 is supported at one end ona hingle 4 adjustable by right and left hand screws 5, 6 and turnbuckles7 supported from a base member 8.

, 2 t Th ew as it f eshb sl t 't tn n s e 2.5 t senate biti e rthsl neisf atti: antl iigidly fixed to triangularmernbrss spaced net fli b iinherit At t ses s e e b i 25. m e .1PY in; theme. of i efiii sle).which are v, jiit o'iitvvards relatively, to the sid'tem'e.m- Ahas'esiiefli; tab islf fa n n l. 9,? .e *llytii fdrce tlie. mehihets 26, zrapana ainst he resistanceofiispriiig' 29; I tgatpe ber m n r l g d' P id t eit a e t;iiii is; :nts;s; 6 it s rt are. .11 1 joined top endshr theside mbers; 25 I t b sli M 19p. he arel passes through apertures 36 inthet'ri ii'gtilar nie'mbers ifgs'. w I This bar 31 has a rack 33 oh itsuh i i t th ah n ql 3 ylhsuiite n which exthd owii, he bat-stigma tiothe left; sdthatthe p hi' ve rlatively dovvn thei ehhes; 32 m he ta 149hr 'tli jarel-z ten e-ha 'cbnie s clear of e co b siippo'i t tiiinbr.Oh rot f the pinion fifi iii the pposite (tilltl'c'lbdlili'i'l e "a heTE 30' aha tbp nienib'erw are raised t'o expahd ihe r nandreli 7 I Oiithe base plate S'of the machine are fixed v'ei; a posts 1!}, 37 arrangedinpairseach pairof pas s Being spanned at their rep hhshy a then hori'zf-Cre beatii 'slichals' as. Tlie lied 9 is sup e 1 above the' bas'e 8 byan" angle "section 39 ext "ding Bet eeiithe pd sts'jlti at one en's ireis shppbitee biiet'vveeh the posts 37. at the otherend; upper beam 17parallel to andrcally above the bed 9 "eitt'ehds between thevenijearpe'sts 18; 37 beingsnpenejd tron; the slio'r t cross 'b'eamses.

'At the beginning or the oiier'atioli the mandrel is contrac't'ed andtilted upwards abo'htth pivot pi 4. I

The blank 1 is then 'tlirea'fd'ed on to it and the thah dfr l ais'lowered on to the heh1 9 and the lower iia'n'szii; 27 elfthnexpandetl; it is held down 'on the Bed by iahis 1 (one at each end ofthe machine) operated by hydraulic cylinders 11 supported by the posts37.

Angle-shaped benders 12 (not shown in Fig. 4) pivoted at their corners13 to the upper edges of the bed 9 are then tilted by hydraulic jacks 14(one at each end of the machine) and bend the blank 1 into contact withthe mandrel 2. The jacks 14 are supported from the bottom of the bed 9,being mounted on plates 40 projecting from the bed 9 so that the jacksengage the benders 12 remote from the pivots 13. A carriage 141 carryingrollers 3 then moves along the machine, having upper rollers 16 movingalong the lower flange of an upper beam 17, supported from the base ofthe machine by posts 18.

These rollers swage or bend the projecting edges of the blank over thetop member 19 of the mandrel 2.

The angle-shaped benders 12 have stiffening upper members 15 connectedto the bottom leg at intervals by diaphragms 20, 21.

After the swaging operation the contacting edges of the otherwisecompleted support members are then welded.

The mandrel is then contracted and tilted upwards about the hinge 4 by aram 22, Fig. 4 operated by'an hydraulic cylinder 23, mounted on framemembers 37, whereupon the completed support member is slid off themandrel.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for the manufacture from sheet metal of extensiblecentering, scaffolding and similar support memport, a mandrel mounted onsaid support for fitting within a sheet metal blank of channel section,said mandrel having a main body portion of substantially triangularsection, an expandable base comprising parts movable outwardlyrelatively to each other and a top member which can be raised andlowered relatively to said base, means pivotally mounted on said supporton opposite sides of said mandrel for bending the sides of said blankinto contact with the sides of the body of said mandrel, swagingrollers, and means on said support and movably supporting said swagingrollers above said mandrel for running said rollers along the edges ofthe blank to bend the edge portions of the blank over said top member inits raised position.

2. Apparatus for the manufacture from sheet metal of extensiblecentering, scaffolding and similar support members of substantiallytriangular section, comprising a support having a bed, an expandablemandrel mounted on said support for fitting within a sheet metal blankof channel section, means on said support for clamping said mandrel tosaid bed with the web of said blank sandwiched between said bed and thebase of said mandrel, means on the base of said mandrel movableoutwardly into engagement with the flanges of said blank, side memberspivoted to said bed on opposite sides of said mandrel about axesparallel to the length of said mandrel, means on said support for tilingsaid side members about their pivots to fold the blank flanges againstthe sides of the mandrel, swaging rollers, and means on said support andmovably supporting said swaging rollers above said mandrel for runningsaid swaging rollers along the edges of said blank to bend said edgestogether over the top of the mandrel.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2 in which said mandrel is pivoted atone end on said support and is clamped to said bed by hydraulic ramsmounted on said support.

4. Apparatus for the manufacture from sheet metal of extensiblecentering, scaffolding and similar support members of substantiallytriangular section, comprising a support having a bed, a mandrel mountedon said support for fitting within a sheet metal blank of channelsection, said mandrel comprising a main body portion of substantiallytriangular section, a base comprising parts movable outwardly relativelyto each other and a top member movable relatively to said base, means onsaid mandrel for raising and lowering said top member, means on saidsupport for clamping the mandrel to said bed, longitudinal foldingmembers pivoted on opposite sides of said bed about axes parallel to thelength of said mandrel, swaging rollers, and means on said support andmovably supporting said swaging rollers above said mandrel for runningsaid swaging rollers along said top member.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4 wherein said means for raising andlowering said top member comprises pins depending from said top member,a bar beneath said top member and having a series of inclined portionsalong its top edge, said pins resting on said top edge, and means formoving said bar longitudinally relatively to said top member to vary theelevation of said top member by engagement by said pins with saidinclines.

6. Apparatus according to claim 4 wherein said means supporting saidswaging rollers comprises a guide above and parallel to said mandrel,and a carriage movable along said guide, said swaging rollers dependingfrom said carriage.

7. Apparatus according to claim 4 wherein said folding members are ofangle section and are tiltable by hydraulic rams on said support.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS407,530 Irwin July 23, 1889 430,265 Briggs June 17, 1890 430,266 BriggsJune 17, 1890 460,947 Clapp et al. Oct. 13, 1891 492,775 Bosley Mar. 7,1893 528,192 Underdown Oct. 30, 1894 559,714 Kaiser May 5, 1896 665,088Gould Jan. 1, 1901 818,932 Baxter Apr. 24, 1906 2,225,187 Stitt Dec. 17,1.940 2,502,012 Kinkead Mar. 28, 1950 2,515,786 Mitchell July 18, 19502,557,346 Green June 19, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 20,413 France Feb. 12,1858 10,668 Great Britain May 9, 1902 711,546 France June 30, 1931666,979 Great Britain Feb. 20, 1952

